Kohl’s, Aldo Ink Footwear Deal

Kohl’s is looking to take its burgeoning footwear business to the next level.

The department store chain said Wednesday it has inked a deal with Aldo International to produce private-label offerings for the chain. Aldo will design a range of products for women and men, and the styles will be available at Kohl’s stores and on Kohl’s.com beginning next spring.

The move, Kohl’s said, will bolster its private-label and exclusive brand segment, which accounted for 47 percent of sales in the first quarter.

The retailer added that shoes continue to be a key growth area and one of the strongest-performing categories for the company.

“Kohl’s is incredibly excited to announce this unique collaboration with Aldo, [which] is globally respected for its design expertise and leadership in the footwear industry,” Don Brennan, senior EVP at Kohl’s, said in a statement. “Bringing this level of design to our exclusive and private brand portfolio in footwear allows us to increase the value proposition to our customer and delivers on our commitment to offer world-class partnerships in each category.”

Aldo also was upbeat about the move.

“We look forward to helping Kohl’s make [its] exclusive and private brand offerings even stronger by providing exciting, on-trend styling at a great value,” said David Bensadoun, group VP at Aldo Group Retail.